Tag Archives: løping

Well, that is not all true – there are thousands of runners here. I heard 34.000 mentioned. And then me. What am I doing here?, I thought to myself just a few minutes ago. I have not been able to train f the last 2,5 months, so I will not run strong, like I was planning for. My plans all went out the window with an everlasting cold and a much to busy line of work. I am counting on “routine” to finish tomorrow´s half marathon. (If anyone had said to me like 1-2 years ago that I would ever claim routine on a 21.1 km run, I would have called them crazy, but hey…)
It is not routine these days. If you want to push yourself pace-wise it is really hard to run a half marathon. But when you just want to finish, run the city to look at the surroundings and tourist attractions, just like a normal weekly long run, then it is less hard.
Like I said – I have not been running much. My plan on minimum 50K weeks is long gone down the drain or out the window. I will be getting back to it, but as it is, I have only been doing the odd run once in a while. Easter vacation made it possible to get in 2 runs – staying at our country cottage in Jeløy (Moss, Norway) is excellent as it provides great surroundings for running. I had two good runs, 11K each, with “rolling hills” that demands both breath and muscle, me lacking both these days 😉 I decided that the flat 21K in Berlin would be easy breezy compared to it.

Well, it won’t. I am sure.

Running aside – I am feeling a bit alone. I spot runners everywhere – we get this green band around our wrist when we pick up our bib – but they are all in pairs or bigger groups. I never thought I would go to Berlin all alone when I first signed up for it, but as it was – none of my running buddies was able to tag along. So today I have been walking the streets, skipping out on my pre paid massage, have tried out some puma shoes which I did not bye – and had the most boring club sandwich for lunch. Back at the hotel, I tried to get comfortable in my tiny room, but #thesmallesthotelroomever does not have anything but the bed. Sorry Monbijou hotel – the room is nice and all, but a chair would be nice.

After some time on the bed and on Facebook, I brought my mac with me to the lobby, where I sit by the fire place and drink sparkling water. I should have been out having dinner, but I don´t feel like it. Not good for my energy levels tomorrow, I know, but I think I´d rather go to bed soon. Will be getting up really early to have breakfast. All runners are supposed to be at the starting area around 8:45 and I prefer using the bathroom at the hotel before heading over there.

So this is it for now. My feeling of loneliness is worse than the idea of running 21.2K tomorrow. If you are in Berlin right now, running tomorrow, please take notice if you see a lonesome runner. We might be desperate to talk to someone!

I am currently making a lot of fast choices – just booked an airline ticket to Tromsø (Northern Norway) to go run the half marathon at Midnight Sun Marathon in June. This will be a combined trip – my parents live there, so I can make one of my much too rare visits. They are getting older, but are still so busy, so they are not totally sure if they will be at home that weekend. I do hope so!! 😀

Will you join me in beautiful Tromsø?

This means I have 3 races in my calendar for 2016:

Berlin Half on April 3rd

Ecotrail Oslo on May 21st (18K)

MSM half (Tromsø) on June 18th

If I am ever going to complete 100 half maratons, I desperately need to add to this list. And, I have to say – running the 18K ECOTRAIL in May is kind of stupid: First; it is not a half marathon. Second; it is much harder than a half marathon. Third; I hated it so much in 2015, that I blogged about it! I need to say – everything around the race was perfect, brilliant experience in the finishing area, and the weather was wonderful. But the trail part was too rough for me. I am not a trail runner – more like an asphalt junkie 😉 The last 10K of the race are more my stuff, but the first 8K broke me completely.

When approaching the Opera House you are getting close to the finish line.

My goal for 2016 – the too much talked about 2500K over 366 days – might not be compatible with attending too many races, since I always cut down on mileage the last week before the race. So for every race I want to run, I need to add extra milage in other weeks. But races are so fun!

Usually I would attend the Oslo Marathon in September, but this year I have not registered yet – there are so many races that month, so maybe I should try something new? But Oslo was great last year – a lot of music and fun along the course. Much more music than when I ran the Rock ´n´roll (Half) Marathon in Lisbon, strangely enough.

A race I have been registered for earlier, but did not run due to injury, is Kystleden half marathon – in 2015 it was arranged on August 22nd. There is still no info about 2016.

You run along the coastline – I am pretty sure that this is a worthwhile experience.

The last 2 years my son (17yrs in Feb) has attended a Viking Race on the same date, and I really love to see his great results there – in 2015 he finished number 18 among almost 500 participants, mostly adults. If these races are not on the same day this year, I might attend Kystleden.

But the first race will be Berlin. I love Berlin, and cannot wait for my first ever run in this beautiful city ❤

Please join me in running the new year – run it slow or run it strong, but always run happy!

Me-

(and sorry for borrowing all photos from “the world wide web” – I couldn´t help myself…)

Back on the blog, back on track. I hope. After my race in Porto, I felt so empty, but managed to stick to my training all the way through nov/dec – until christmas vacation. First day off work, I woke up with a terrible cold, and the next three weeks turned crap. Don´t get me wrong – christmas was wonderful, spending time with my hubby, my mother-in-law in Kiby (Vadsø/Varanger), my parents in Tromsø – and my sister and her family, also in Tromsø. Great family time, but no running for three weeks is NOT a good feeling. Form is fresh. Not kidding.

But finally – January 8th I started my way back into my training plan. I am not yet back to 50K per week, but getting close – I did it last week, but this week has been too busy. The weather conditions is not making it any easier – the temperature is going up and down all the time, one day the snow is coming down heavy, the next day mild weather, then cold again – making it almost impossible to stay on your feet. I´ve had a couple of morning runs to work (14K) that has been really hard, both physically and mentally.

Running in spite of conditions can make you feel on top of the world (although really tired;))

Today I did intervals with the regular gang from Friskis & Svettis – and it felt great. 4 x 3min uphill. I kind of hate that hill, but love being able to push through. And afterwords, hitting the hot shower before being served a nice dinner – I love my hubby!

I do think I´m back. I am pretty sure I´m back. I know I´m back. My head is now again spinning on where to travel next – maybe the Berlin half spring 2016? I will be running a 10K in Oslo in April (Sentrumsløpet) and a half marathon in Oslo in September – but I need to plan for another trip abroad. I really want to figure out if I will be able to finish a full Marathon in 2016, but I kind of have my heart set on Berlin – and how does one qualify for Berlin, when it is your first full marathon? Please let me know, if you have any tip on the matter.

Now I am tired, but happy. And it feels good to be back on the blog, as well. This might not be such an interesting post, but my heart needed this, as well as my head. I need to run, and I need to write. I do hope you will want stay with me on this blog, and please – do comment. I want to get to know other runners, and would love to know more about YOUR running life.

Today´s run started great. Sometimes I have not decided in advance how long a run will be – and today was just like that. Being away from the familiar streets at home, I find it hard to plan my runs. The fact that I have had a shitty summer, training wise, makes it even harder to plan for the long runs. My longest run so far after this long brake has been a 13K, on September 8th, and usually I don´t try to stretch the distance more than 1K at the time – per week.

Today I broke my rule. Not by that much, but enough.

The first half was easy – I tried to make it slow, and with the wind behind me it felt really good. I was warm and comfy, and the initial idea of maybe running 12-14K, was soon forgotten. I remembered my mother-in-law´s words in August: Maybe you could run all the way to Ekkerøy? She thought that it was approximately a distance of 10K. I never made that run, but suddenly the idea popped into my head: maybe I could do that now?

My feet just went on, and seeing Ekkerøy ahead, was supporting the idea. And after 8,9 km, I got to take a photo by the road sign. I usually never make any stops on my runs, but now I had to – in need of proof to show my mother-in-law. I skipped the last 1K all the way out to the “island”, in need of getting home.

When turning around, the ice cold wind made an instant impact. I closed my running vest soon enough, but I immediately got scared that this would be an uncomfortable journey. And so it was. It is really hard to run up against the wind here in Varanger, it is strong and cold – and my runkeeper reported the average pace drop from 5:26 at the turning point, adding 1 sec to the average every 500m. In the end I was happy to even run: I was so cold, my thighs were freezing, and my ankles and wrists felt bitten by frost. I might be exaggerating a bit, but anyhow: it was tough to finish this run. But I did make it all the way home.

As you can see, the pace dropped to an average of 5:39. This means that the second half had an average pace of 5:52. Not very fast, but I am really happy to complete today´s run actually running!

Back in the house, I jumped in the shower to get warm. I got so hungry that I started eating my dinner even before sitting down:

3 hours later I now feel good. My uncertainties regarding the 16K run in Porto, Portugal, on November 2nd kind of went away. I am still not strong enough to go back to my initial plan: running the 16K at an even 5:00-pace. But at least now I know I will be able to complete the race. The next weeks are crucial for building up my capacity again. I can not skip my training, and I do need to add some strengthening exercises. I will.

Have a good night, good people. If you read this, feel free to leave a comment. Looking foreword to hear from you, and please tell me about your own struggles and victories 😀